Christa Pike was scheduled to be executed in Tennessee on September 30, but she survived two attempts to put her to death by lethal injection. After the unprecedented failure, Tennessee has now made a decision that affects another death row inmate.
Christa Pike’s botched execution has now had consequences for another death row inmate in Tennessee.
Gary Wayne Sutton was scheduled to be executed on December 3 this year – but Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has now paused all planned executions for the rest of the year following the widely reported failure with Pike.
Sutton’s execution has therefore been halted, at least for now, according to New York Post. It remains unclear when Tennessee will resume carrying out executions.
Gary Wayne Sutton death row
Sutton has been on death row since he was convicted of the murders of siblings Tommy Griffin and Connie Branam in February 1992.
According to court documents, Sutton, his uncle James Dellinger, and Griffin were out drinking together on February 21. During the evening a fight broke out and Griffin was later left without a shirt, and injured, along the road.
Police found him and took him to jail, where he was held for public intoxication.
Sutton and Dellinger later paid his bail and got him out. Just about half an hour later, witnesses heard three shots in the area where Griffin was later found dead. He had been shot in the head.
The following day, Connie Branam went out to look for her brother together with Sutton and Dellinger. Shortly afterward, her severely burned body was found in a burned-out car.
Both Sutton and Dellinger were sentenced to death. Dellinger, however, never faced execution, but died of natural causes while on death row. Sutton has maintained his innocence throughout.
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